Telemedicine facilitates CHF home health care for those with systolic dysfunction.

An estimated 5 million Americans have congestive heart failure (CHF) and one in five over the age of 40 will develop CHF. There are numerous examples of CHF patients living beyond the years normally expected for people with the disease, usually attributed to taking an active role in disease management. A relatively new alternative for CHF outpatient care is telemedicine and e-health.

Brain injury: quality of life's greatest challenge.

The objectives of this investigation were to (1) identify elements that comprise an acceptable quality of life (Q-L) post-traumatic brain injury (TBI) from the perspectives of patients and families, and (2) explore patient and family satisfaction with treatment decisions relevant to QoL. The authors created, tested, and administered two forms (patient; family) of a 35-question interview to 33 participants in a longitudinal TBI study (14 women, 19 men) and 33 associated family members. Men associated ratings of QoL with numerous variables, while women's responses revealed no significant relationships shared by QoL and other variables.